Friday, 2 February 2018

I have struggled with my skin since forever. No matter what I've used I've always had acne and my skin hasn't been as glowy as I would like it to be. Everywhere I look, women seem to have perfect skin, but of course we know that Photoshop exists and most of the pictures we see in mainstream media have been edited. We shouldn't compare ourselves to anyone else except ourselves, but it's not easy when every magazine, TV advert and even some Instagram photos we see have been edited and photoshopped so that the subject looks flawless, sometimes to a level which is unattainable. I always looked in the mirror and longed to be different, to have clear skin and a better skin tone. I have written previously about my battle with my skin and which skincare products and devices I have used to get me to where I am today. Thankfully, for the most part, my skin behaves itself now but I do still get the odd breakout which does nothing for my confidence. In fact it makes me quite unhappy and leaves me wondering what more I can do to ensure my skin doesn't go back to how it used to be.

I have used my magnitone device for a little over a year now and in combination with my skincare routine my skin changed completely. So now I'm on the lookout for new devices to trial and see what they can do for me. I had seen this PMD microderm device before and had always been intrigued by it but never thought I'd have the opportunity to use it for myself. The idea behind microdermabrasion is that if you break apart and remove the dead skin cells on the stratum corneum skin layer, the body will interpret this as a mild injury and rush to replace the lost cells with healthy new ones. This benefits the skin's tone, surface and the overall texture is improved. Skincare products work better afterwards too as the barrier has been removed, they are up to 20 times more effective when combined with microdermabraison. To finally be able to achieve smoother, fresher and brighter skin is for me, a dream simply because I have always lacked confidence not only in my skin but also my whole appearance. I have battled with my weight for what seems like my entire life, I have never been the skinny one in my group of friends, in fact I was always larger then everyone else even at university. It was only a few years later that I went to Weight Watchers and lost 2.5stone. But even after doing all that I still had the same skin I did when I was much younger. It seemed like there was nothing I could do to prevent this, every single skincare solution I tried seemed to make my skin worse and although on the outside I looked and felt better, inside I wasn't. I felt like I had to wear make-up every single day just to hide my skin because of how horrible it was. I didn't want anyone to look at me and think I had dirty skin and obviously didn't wash my face. That couldn't be further from the truth, in fact what I was doing was probably the complete opposite of what I should have been. Washing my face and stripping away its natural hydration meant that my skin was overcompensating by producing more and more oil. This meant that the skin's surface was getting blocked trapping sebum and oils which lead to my acne. It's only now, nearly 15 years later that I finally understand more about my skin and finally have the right products to combat my dehydration because that's what my skin was, dehydrated. As soon as I switched up my routine and got the right products suitable for my now dry/dehydrated skin, you know what happened? My acne disappeared. Yes that's right, it left. Literally overnight I woke up and my whole appearance had changed. I could have cried I was that happy. When you've been battling your body and your skin for you entire life, there's nothing you want more than to be like everyone else and I finally was. The more I used my Kiehl's products, the more my skin improved, in combination with my magnitone I could achieve that fresh faced look I'd been after forever. Just writing this makes me well up because I'm remembering all the emotions I had at the time. I no longer wear make up to hide my skin, in fact I don't wear it hardly at all anymore! And coming from someone whom for 7 years would plaster their face in every foundation and BB cream available, that's huge. I no longer feel like I have to hide my skin away from everyone else, that it doesn't matter if I'm having a breakout because I simply use my Witch Blemish Stick and carry on. I can feel the tingle from the witch hazel and know that it's working it's magic and within a few hours/days my acne has either disappeared completely or gone down dramatically. Such a wonder product and one I will always use from now on.

I can't even begin to tell you just how much my skin changing had an effect on me. I'd say it was actually more than losing all my weight, as you can change what you look like but if there's one aspect of your body you dislike, it will be the only one you concentrate on, it was for me anyway. No matter how slim I became, knowing that I still had acne when I was in my 20s and shouldn't be suffering from it anymore, just dragged me down even further. So I am now one of those people who harp on about how important skincare is and who repeats something my Mum said me, "look after your skin and you'll not have to use much make-up" and I couldn't agree more. Your skin is like the foundations of a house, once that's secure you can then continue to build upwards and make your house perfect. Yes the fittings and furnishings make a house a home, but if it has shoddy foundations it will all come tumbling down! I now look after my skin more than any other aspect of my body, I want to be able to look at the camera without shying away and without thinking how much make-up I have to put on beforehand. I want to enjoy my life now, not worry about how I look. So I am now at that stage where I just want to improve my skin's texture, tone and generally just look a bit more awake and brighter. Step in the PMD Microderamabrasion device. Another skincare device for me to include into my routine. I will happily take the time to watch the DVD and learn how to use it properly, it does seem easy to use from what I've seen so far and I am excited to get started and be on my way to clearer, fresher and hopefully more brighter skin!

Once I have gotten to grips with it I will report back with another blog post all about it. I am trying not to pin all my hopes on this little device as I don't want to come away from this experience and be disappointed. But equally I do want to be honest with you so if it doesn't work out then I will say so in my next post for you. The best things in life aren't free and they always take the most time but are generally the most rewarding so I am excited to get started and see what this device can do for my skin. So far I am pretty pleased with it and looking forward to incorporating it into my routine even more in the coming weeks and months. If it doesn't do anything dramatic then so be it. I am happy with my skin overall at the moment and so I'm just seeing this as a benefit to my routine rather than something which will completely change it or better it in someway. But you never know I may be surprised! Stick around to find out what I think of it! Love, Sarahxoxoxoxoxoxo